April New Releases: Enticing and Fantastical YA Reads
- Allison Rose
- Apr 1, 2022
- 7 min read
Happy April 2022! It’s once again time to look forward to the fantasy/sci-fi YA reads releasing this month. There’s certainly some interesting titles here.
Check out the epic list below (organized by release date)!
April 5th
By Emily J. Taylor All her life, Jani has dreamed of Elsewhere. Just barely scraping by with her job at a tannery, she’s resigned to a dreary life in the port town of Durc, caring for her younger sister Zosa. That is, until the Hotel Magnifique comes to town. The hotel is legendary not only for its whimsical enchantments, but also for its ability to travel—appearing in a different destination every morning. While Jani and Zosa can’t afford the exorbitant costs of a guest’s stay, they can interview to join the staff, and are soon whisked away on the greatest adventure of their lives. But once inside, Jani quickly discovers their contracts are unbreakable and that beneath the marvelous glamour, the hotel is hiding dangerous secrets. With the vexingly handsome doorman Bel as her only ally, Jani embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa—and the other staff—from the cruelty of the ruthless maître d’hôtel. To succeed, she’ll have to risk everything she loves, but failure would mean a fate far worse than never returning home.
By P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Something wicked this way comes... Twin sisters, Mercy and Hunter are witches, direct descendants of the Goode family, the founders of their town. After the murder of their mother at the hands of a foul demon, they have become the protectors of the Gates to different underworlds—ancient portals between their world and realms where mythology rules and the darkest of creatures exist. Grief has taken a terrible toll on the twins. Rather than bringing them together, their sadness has torn them apart, driving Mercy to attempt to save the crumbling Gates without her twin and Hunter into the arms of a dangerous goddess. While Mercy looks for aid from Khenti, Guardian of the Egyptian Underworld, Hunter begins to realize the goddess she’s allied with is more monster than deity. She needs her sister’s help, but Mercy is beyond her reach on an adventure that could cost them everything, including their world.
April 12th
By Ruth Fox
Even the darkest secrets will come to light.
Bubbly social media star Hannah Monksman is captaining Seiiki and carrying the last of Earth’s whales to a new paradise planet. Viewers have been following Hannah’s journey, but what they don’t know is her true identity―Kim Teng who won her role as Caretaker with the help of underground operatives known as the Crusaders.
Kim forms a close bond with the whales in her care, and their mental Link allows conversation on the lonely spaceship. But when one of the whales, Adonai, begins acting strange, Kim begins to suspect that she is a pawn in a secret mission meant to ensure the whales never reach their destination. Or it may just be the isolation getting to her.
By Wes Dyson
There once were two children, a girl and a boy. One could create, the other, destroy.
Within every heart lies the power to bond or break.
On an isolated port of floating garbage called Hop, Gaiel Izz and his sister, Lynd, never imagined they’d be able to change anything…
Not their nasty neighbors, not their hungry bellies, and especially not their missing father.
That will change when they discover the power of myracles — magic that either creates or destroys.
As the brother and sister set across Esa to bring their family back together, this power will either unite them or shatter their entire world to pieces.
It will all come down to what truly lies within their hearts…
Create or destroy?
April 19th
By Adrienne Tooley
In this gorgeous, queer standalone fantasy, a young musician sets out to expose her rival for illegal use of magic only to discover the deception goes deeper than she could have imagined—perfect for fans of An Enchantment of Ravens! Music runs in Sofi’s blood. Her father is a Musik, one of only five musicians in the country licensed to compose and perform original songs. In the kingdom of Aell, where winter is endless and magic is accessible to all, there are strict anti-magic laws ensuring music remains the last untouched art. Sofi has spent her entire life training to inherit her father’s title. But on the day of the auditions, she is presented with unexpected competition in the form of Lara, a girl who has never before played the lute. Yet somehow, to Sofi’s horror, Lara puts on a performance that thoroughly enchants the judges. Almost like magic. The same day Lara wins the title of Musik, Sofi’s father dies, and a grieving Sofi sets out to prove Lara is using illegal magic in her performances. But the more time she spends with Lara, the more Sofi begins to doubt everything she knows about her family, her music, and the girl she thought was her enemy. As Sofi works to reclaim her rightful place as a Musik, she is forced to face the dark secrets of her past and the magic she was trained to avoid—all while trying not to fall for the girl who stole her future.
by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Black Mirror meets Marie Lu’s Warcross in Nami’s continuing adventures as she fights to free her friends in this high-stakes sequel to The Infinity Courts by award-winning author Akemi Dawn Bowman.
It’s been ten months since Nami narrowly escaped the Four Courts and Ophelia’s wrath. Ten months since she was betrayed by someone she once considered a friend. Someone she poured her heart out to. And now her family here in the afterlife are gone, captured, and Nami is utterly alone.
On the run, only steps ahead of the AI forces pursuing her, and desperate to free her friends, Nami must take the allies she can find, even if she doesn’t fully trust them. And as she tests the limits of her own power, she must also reckon with the responsibility that entails.
Stakes are high as Nami navigates old enemies, unexpected allies, and an ever-changing landscape filled with dangers and twists at every turn. Along the way, she’ll learn powerful truths about who she can trust and the sacrifices that must be made in order to fight for a better, freer world for all.
By Tiffany Putenis
In the Duchy of Amadan, all males are born with the spark of magic running through their veins. But there is a price to be paid by the strongest magic-wielders.
Once a generation, a magical tournament unfolds at the Duke of Amadan's fortress. The winner becomes a hero before being sacrificed to the Shadowlands, where the Demon Lord Trahern awaits.
Gedran wins the tournament and is shoved through a portal into the Shadowlands. His brother, Roarke, faces a harrowing decision: to stay in Amadan or journey into the Shadowlands to save his brother.
April 20th
By various authors
What’s in a name? Names have power, names have magic, names can set the course for a great destiny.
Once upon a time, twenty author friends accepted a challenge by a fairy tale name generator. Now, twenty new characters have adventurous tales to tell.
In this clean YA anthology, meet goddesses, empresses, countesses, wannabe sorceress apprentices, female leaders of wolf packs, and guardian frog sidekicks. Search for missing persons with a hunter turned detective. Swoon over the gypsy sultana who must prove she is fit to rule. Cavort with our demons, wraiths, and demigods and lose your soul to the Bone Marsh. Root for a genie’s freedom or bite your nails as you pray for the witch to get the spell right. And yes, feel your heart palpitate at unexpected romance.
Escape into our strange and unusual collection of short stories written by award-winning and up-and-coming authors. Join us in far-off lands and learn. . .what is in a name.
April 24th
by Sita Bennett
Maya, Björn, and the small tribe of humans who survived the Old World’s End in the dimension of Santōṣha return to earth, but it is not the earth they remember...
After being wiped clean from all civilisation, the land is bare. Nature has only just begun to regrow and the returning humans must learn to survive in harsh, desolate conditions.
When Maya gets separated from her tribe, she is sure she won't survive alone. But her unlikely companionship with a young bear becomes a source of strength.
The threat of Sky Consciousness hangs more heavily than ever in the air now that the planet is vulnerable. There are many mysteries that Maya must uncover, including metaphysical powers that have been dormant within her. But she alone cannot defeat the Sky Consciousness. And she won't.
There are four others with powers that compliment hers.
Who are they? And how does she find them on a desolate planet?
April 26th
By Dylan Farrow
Shae’s entire world has been turned upside down, and everything she’s ever believed is a lie. More determined than ever, she sets out to the mysterious land of Gondal—a place forbidden to mention and resigned to myth—in search of a dangerous magical book that could alter the fabric of the world. Following the trail of Ravod, the boy she thought she knew and trusted, Shae discovers there is far more to the young man who stole the Book of Days than she ever realized. Together, with her friends, Mads and Fiona, and a newfound ally in her fierce former trainer, Kennan, Shae crosses the borders of the only home she’s ever had and into a world ruled not by magic, but technology and industry—one fraught with perils of its own. In a world shrouded in lies, Shae is desperate for answers and to restore peace, but who will lift the veil?
April 27th
By Clarissa Gosling
A captured friend. An annoying brother. Can her return to faery get any worse? After returning to the human realm, Zoe is determined to keep her head down and stay out of trouble until after her exams are over. In the meantime, she refuses to dwell on what it means to be the missing Princess of Starlight...or which realm she belongs in. But her best laid plans crumble when she learns that her foster parents are fae and have have hidden her heritage all along. Suddenly, her entire life feels like a lie. To make matters worse, she discovers her friend Evan has been captured by the Queen of Dawnlight. Again. And it’s all her fault. The only way to save him is to return to faery, this time with her overbearing foster brother in tow. Can she navigate the faery courts, on her own this time, and save her friend without accumulating more debts? Or will her brother upset everything, including her budding relationship with Prince Florian of the Sunlight Court? Find out more in this delightful fae fantasy for lovers of slow burn romance and magical bargains.
This article was written by Allison Rose.
Allison Rose writes YA fantasy featuring magic and otherworldly beings. Her current series feature a truly unique world of Faerie. Click the covers below to check them out.
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